On Nov. 8, Barrow County voters will make one of the most important decisions they will ever face at the ballot box. On the ballot will be a proposal to change the structure of Barrow County’s government to a county manger system. Currently, Barrow County has an elected chairman who is also the designated person to run the county on a day-to-day basis.

The ballot proposal would be a huge change in Barrow County and merits a lot of thought and reflection. At the end of the day, however, the idea deserves voter support.

There is no perfect system of local government. No matter what kind of government is created, it will be flawed because it is run by human beings. And while we might like to think of government in some ideal sense, the foibles those elected and appointed to public office will always govern the overall success or failure of a government.

A little review.

The current move to change Barrow County’s government stems from the controversies that have come from current BOC chairman Danny Yearwood. It’s impossible here to really capture the level of ineffectiveness and useless controversies of the Yearwood administration and the temperamental chairman himself. Although the board has faced some issues not of its own making, the BOC has been needlessly embroiled in bad decisions and controversy. Most of that can be laid at the feet of Yearwood, who has proven to be less than what was needed for the job he was elected to do.

Indeed, it’s almost impossible to imagine a scenario where anyone in Barrow County would have both the technical skills and the political acumen to run Barrow County on a day-to-day basis. The job is too large and the county’s leadership pool too shallow. If there’s someone out there who does have the skills, they certainly aren’t running for the job.

So the fundamental issue here is really much bigger than Yearwood. Before him, there was BOC chairman Doug Garrison whose administration was also embroiled in controversy. But the Garrison years were troubled by at least one thing that serves as a cautionary warning about the impending proposal for a county manager.

Unlike Yearwood, whose hands-on efforts have proven inept, Garrison was largely hands-off, turning over the day-to-day duties to a hired county administrator. But that unofficial experiment with hired management was also a disaster. The administrator got caught up in the glories of the job, hired too many people too fast and raised local government salaries to inane levels. Many of today’s problems, in fact, stem from that hubris of government largess and the lack of BOC oversight.

Still, there is much to be said for having a hired county manager over having an elected chairman running the county. For one thing, the county government has grown so large and complex that very few laymen would ever be able to figure it out. That’s what Yearwood has faced, a depth of complexity that far exceeds his managerial abilities. A trained manager should have the kind of skill set needed to manage hundreds of people and millions of dollars.

But perhaps an even bigger advantage of the manager form of government is that it encourages better candidates to run for BOC seats, especially the chairman’s seat. Having a full time manager takes a lot of pressure off the board. It sets a higher level of professionalism than the current crazy quilt system, a direction that more people are likely to want to be a part of.

That’s especially true in the chairman’s position. As a full-time job, few qualified people would ever run for that seat. But as a part-time position, more qualified people would seriously consider running.

If the current proposal to change the government passes on Nov. 8, several quality people will likely consider running for chairman, including former Braselton Mayor Pat Graham and chamber of commerce CEO Tommy Jennings.

That would change the dynamics of the Barrow BOC. With a stronger, better-quality chairman in place, stronger, better-quality candidates are likely to run to replace the current pile of deadwood that dominates that board.

The manager system, however, isn’t foolproof. As other nearby counties have learned, for a BOC to be successful, it has to hire the right person for the manager’s job and the board has to make darn sure that person is doing what he or she is supposed to do. Just because a manager is hired doesn’t mean the BOC turns off the lights and goes home. The board still has to be engaged with what’s happening in county government.

But even with that concern, Barrow County will be better off in the future if it moves to a county manager government today. There is no prospect that the current system will ever work in the future for Barrow County, but there is some hope that by professionalizing the administration, better leaders will step forward.

It’s not a silver bullet or a magic formula. But a county manager system of government would be better than the broken, ineffective and embarrassing government that rules Barrow today.

Mike Buffington is co-publisher of the Barrow Journal. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.

You don't understand. Barrow wants all the newbies and educated people to go back where they came from.

The way the county was run 50 years ago is the way it should be run today. Why, if it were for all those outsiders (damn yuppies) coming in and challenging the good ole boy system, things would be just fine.

Seriously, I hope the citizens of Barrow vote in the county manager style of government.

I REALLY hope Pat Graham or Auburn's mayor Linda Blechinger run for chairperson. Both of these Lady's would do great things for Barrow County. One only has to look to Auburn or Brasselton to see thriving commerce and lack of face time in the paper.

What "thriving commerce" does Auburn GA have? Are you talking about the pill heads selling their muscle relaxers and anxiety meds? Or the rental income from the trailer parks and low income duplexes surrounding downtown Auburn?

ARE YOU CRAZY! Auburn as a good example. Where have you been for the last 40 years, of course the County is quickly cathing up to Auburn as being the laughing stock of Barrow County. Yes, the current Mayor I don't think is corrupt as the former Mayors before her,she is basically a good lady, just spending the money on the wrong things, thats all.

Mayor Blechinger is actively going out into the community and beyond to encourage the growth of new commerce rather than sitting behind her desk, pontificating and espousing so much hot air like our chairman.

You would think a used car salesman could sell a lemon of a county in a down turned economy.

PleaSe elaborate on the "spending money on the wrong things". Auburn was the ONLY city that was NOT In the red at the end of the fiscal year. Any of the improvements you see when driving through the city is either by grant monies or SPLOST revenue. As far as the "shiny police cars". Paid for by seized drug funds from the same pill heads you speak about.

Would love the see our Mayor be the county manager, would hate to see her leave Auburn though.

Mike, as a former Barrow County Commission Chairman, I'd like to go on record to thank you for your explanation between the manager form of government and the current full time chairman form of day to day operations of government.

I've had a number of people ask me what I thought about the change and when I tell them that I am all for it, they always want to know why...you were a past chairman and thought you would be against the manager. I tell them, that's exactly why I am in favor of the manager form of government. Eighteen years ago when Barrow had approximately 30,000 citizens, it was a tough job even then...and I had an executive administrator that I did not fire, who handled the daily routine of county government.

Today with nearly 70,000 people, it is a different story, trying to manage 500+ employees and a 33 million dollar budget with all the other things that go along with the job is way over an elected official's head today. Most of our past chairmen have been fairly educated, business oriented and of high morals. Today, it takes a whole lot more that that. With all the state and federal mandates and regulations that the local governments have to adhere to. it is no wonder, our locals hardly get anything done.

State and federal mandates are simply tax increases and regulations the higher up's don't have the guts to pass on thier level, so they pass it on down to the locals to implement and raise taxes to accomplish the task.

You are correct though Mike, the BOC must take their time and employee all the help, such as the Regional Development Commission, Association of County Commissioners of Georgia and any other government assistants they can muster to "get it right" if this form of goverment passes by the voters.

I can tell you from experience, we need professional help. When you get a cold, you go to your local doctor, when you have a stroke, you get refered to a specialist...well, Barrow County has had a stroke and we need to see a specialist.

Vote in favor of the county manager on November 8. Just my opinion, but I am talking from experience.

As I understand it, the current charter identifies the chairman at the person who runs the day to day operations. The hired administrators pretty much work at the pleasure of the chariman. As we have seen, Yearwood has fired all of them and has chose to try an run the place all by himself.

The new charter, when drafted, will identify the county manager as the person to oversee the day to day operations...not the chairman. The chairman will still play a part in the government as pretty much as the laison between the BOC and county manager. The BOC wills set policy and manager see's that it is carried out. That is a simple version of it, but in summary, the chairman is elected by a popularity vote or because voters are voting against the one in office now. Makes no difference if the one who gets elected has any qualifications at all...just get the other guy out. With the manager, there will always be continunity within the governmen.

we blindly vote for change shouldnt a proposed charter be what we are voting on not some idea that can blow up big time in our faces!! new charter in detail outlined pay and benifits range just like when companies have openings there are pay levels and set expenses for thing like cars etc

what the voting is to allow a manager as opposed to the Chairman running day to day, now if we could vote on the charter that is written on how the Chairmans powers and a managers power are defined, also the terms for removing both that would be an informed vote.

Mike, you are dead on correct. A manager system is not a panacea, but has the potential to resolve issues our current system cannot. However, I don't believe this modification of the charter goes deep enough. There needs to be a penalty clause added to the charter to remedy the problem of BOC members thumbing their noses at the requirements of the charter. Basically, voters have only two means of recourse against out of control BOC members; recall or not re-elect. Additionally the BOC members can only censure one another, and this carries no weight.
Historically speaking, a change has been needed for a very long time, and I am optimistic that we will take this as a first step towards better governance. The key will be for the voters to carefully research and select a qualified and dedicated Chairman and Board.

Tommy Jennings would be a Doug Garrison "Lite", a do nothing but be the whipping boy for the that handful of money boys that have traditionally controlled all that happens in Barrow.
Pat Graham has the sensibility, experience and the clout to put this county back on track. Pat would be our choice for the Chair, far and above any other!

What you have to do is visualize what will happen. This is what will happen; The Board will fight with the County Manager just as they fight with the Chairman. In all honesty, there probably won't be much of a difference. Only advantage I see is that the BOC could fire a Manager and usually there is only 1 or perhaps 2 Board members with enough guts to lead the assault. With that being said truthfully, a few or one Board member will be the puppet master and rule. Either way , In County Govt. it will continue to be a dictatorship. It's the nature of the beast.

The Barrow Journal has become the voice of Barrow County. I've been noticing the "Barrow News" gets no comments on their stories and the infamous "Barrow Citizens Watch Blog", which I love, has slowed a little. The Journal has become a very powerfull paper and is very addictive. This can only be attributed to it's sterling cast.

How much did they pay for that pimp-post?
But seriously, the other newspaper has a much larger circulation and is the legal organ of the county. They ignore this newspaper because they know they have nothing to worry about. A few blog-comments are not even gnat-worthy to them.

Believe me, they do worry about them. Even they know something good when they see it. What are you basing your circulation guess on and the Journal is the new legal organ. It's not fun to be wrong, but you are. SO many people love to post that do not know what they are talking about. That is part of what is wrong with this whole county. Overpopulated with know it all nuts!

I tend to agree with ole puppet master. The BOC will control the manager, so why go further in the hole with a high paid manager and all of his assistants. We are in crisis people, the economy will get worse, much worse and everyone including our Commissioners must step up and work harder,take up slack. Department heads have been doing an excellent job-keep it up! The economy will never (not in my lifetime) get better,only worse. This is not rocket science! support safety and infrastructure and we can make do with what we have! WE ARE IN CRISIS! WAKE UP!

just heard NASA ended their space program, another sign, And China is starting theirs, but when we fall, China will fall, the whole world will fall. Now is the time to be conservative and make do with what you have. NO T-SPLOST, NO MORE TAXES, NO BY-PASS - NO COUNTY MANAGER. MAKE DO! WE ARE IN DIRE STRAITS. YOU PEOPLE CAN'T BE THAT BLINDED!

to watch Winder fade away, wow really you think downtown is depressing now wait till a bypass saves people from having to stop there

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